Jayson Tatum is already deep into his Celtics legacy, but he’s imagining an even bigger moment down the road — one where he’s still in the league long enough to line up beside (or across from) his son, Deuce Tatum. The idea came up during his appearance on the “Morris Code” podcast, where he opened up about how quickly time has been moving.
“He turned eight, Deuce turned eight on Saturday,” he said. “I’m 27, it’s like damn can I play 10 more years? I can easily do that. So if it works out it would be cool.”
Tatum and his high school sweetheart, Toriah Lachell, welcomed Deuce on December 6, 2017 — only months after Boston picked him third in the draft. He became a dad at 19, the same age LeBron James was when Bronny arrived on October 6, 2004.
Two decades later, LeBron and Bronny made NBA history as the first father-son duo to play on the same team. Their first on-court appearance came on Bronny’s birthday, October 6, 2024, during a preseason matchup with the Suns. Their official regular-season debut together arrived shortly after, on October 22 against Minnesota.
Seeing that unfold gave Tatum even more reason to believe he could make his own version of that moment happen if he stays healthy long enough.
“My son thinks I can do anything”: Jayson Tatum’s son giving him the boost he needed during rehab
Last season, Tatum’s campaign ended abruptly on May 12 when he tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks. Boston dropped that game 121–113 and eventually the series 4–2, and Tatum’s recovery became the focus of his offseason.
During a September 23 interview with People, he shared how a simple moment with Deuce helped pull him through the toughest stretches of rehab. While Deuce was watching highlights, Tatum asked if he believed his dad would bounce back—his son didn’t hesitate.
“I really needed that. There have been plenty of moments during this when I doubted myself. My son thinks I can do anything,” he said.
Tatum is still working his way back and is expected to miss the entire season, but he’s locked in on returning strong next year—and maybe starting the earliest steps toward that dream father-son moment.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
